Flexible item carrier

ABSTRACT

A flexible item carrier device providing the wearer with the ability to safely and securely carry items on their person while being engaged in physical activity. The device fits snugly over the wearer&#39;s shoulder and torso. The device is sufficiently light-weight so as not to interfere with the wearer&#39;s ability to engage in physical activity. The device is equipped with pockets having reflective material. The design of the device is such that it can accommodate wearers of differing shapes and sizes. Furthermore, the design allows for a wearer to be easily seen by motorists and other pedestrians.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This invention claims priority, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §120, to the U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/931,475 filed on Jan. 24, 2013, entitled “Flexible Carrier”, which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to carriers used to carry personal items, and specifically to such carriers that can be worn around a person's torso and shoulder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today, many people live very active lifestyles. Whether, they are jogging, exercising, hiking, etc., people are engaging in physical activity. As such, they will usually desire to carry certain items with them during this physical activity. Examples of items would include keys, a wallet, a cell phone, and money. Many times, when people are engaged in this physical activity, their attire will not accommodate such items (e.g., the attire is not equipped with pockets). Therefore, there is a need to provide an item carrier capable of accommodating these items without interfering with the wearer's physical activity.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,062,194 granted to Aviva Weiss entitled “Ergonomic Weighted Sash” discloses an exercise sash. This device fits around a user's torso. It has pockets along the front portion that hold weights to aid a user in conducting exercise activities. U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,527 granted to Tarik Saidi Karenga entitled “Strap Pack Carrier” discloses a strap pack carrier that can be worn as a sash. The device is worn on a user's torso. It has pockets along the front to hold small items. The device can have weights mounted to help stabilize the device against unequal front and back loads of articles.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,464 granted to Christopher Wright entitled “Cassette Equipment Carrier” discloses a cassette equipment carrier. The device can be worn as a belt (i.e., around a user's waist) or may be worn over one of a user's shoulder's. The device has pockets to hold cassette tapes and retaining devices to hold batteries.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,032 granted to Donal R. Zellmer entitled “Personal Materials Carrier” discloses a personal materials carrier. The device is worn over a user's shoulder and is equipped with pockets equipped with zippers along the front.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,917 granted to Florence D. Frankhouse entitled “Article Carrier” discloses an article carrier. The device is worn over a user's shoulder and is equipped with pockets along the front and rear.

These documents disclose various types of devices that are equipped with pockets to carry a user's personal items. However, none of these devices provide the user with adequate stability, thereby allowing the user to engage in physical activities (e.g, exercising). For example, all of the cited devices are worn over a user's shoulder. (The device of Wright can also, alternatively, be worn on a user's waist.) In the event a user engages in physical activity, the cited devices will slide around the user's body, thereby interfering with the user's physical activity. Furthermore, the cited devices do not provide a snug fit while being worn by the user which will result in interference of the user's physical activity.

Consequently, there is a need for an item carrier device that fits comfortably and snugly around a user's torso, that will be of sufficient size and shape to be easily worn on the user's torso, and that can be easily, efficiently, and effectively worn while the user is engaged in physical activity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide an item carrier device. More particularly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an item carrier device wherein the device fits around the torso and shoulder of the wearer.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a flexible torso or shoulder girding. The girding is form-fitted to the human torso. This snug fit wrapping around the human torso in the hemispherical area of the thoracic vertebrae provide enhanced rigidity to the girding.

It is still another objective of the present invention to provide pockets placed diagonally over the pectoral area of the human torso with the openings facing upward and inward toward the midline to increase surface area and accessibility of the pockets. A pocket placed on the rear of the girding spans the length of the wearer's back from shoulder blade to shoulder blade and uses the tension created from spanning the back to increase motion control of the objects placed inside of it.

It is a further objective to provide a item carrier wherein the girding is equipped with a fastener. This fastener is set to the side of the torso opposite the front pocket in order to make room for the front pocket. The fastener of the girding is adjustable allowing for increase and decrease of diameter around the thoracic hemisphere of the human torso. The girding uses a fastener that is advantageous for the device retaining its flexible carrier.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide reflective strips placed on the front and back of the device.

The flexible item carrier device wraps around one shoulder of a wearer in a vertical fashion making room for the pocket and the wrap aids in load bearing. The front pocket of the girding has a water-resistant lining to protect the wearer's electronic devices from moisture (e.g., perspiration and precipitation). The front pocket of the girding has a small hole located at the top center to allow, for example, headphone wires to pass through.

The overall snug fit of the flexible girding to the wearer's torso in the thoracic region creates harmonic dampening and even weight distribution for objects placed in the pockets as most objects will assume a flattened or broad-sided position against the wearer's body. The structure of the girding is one of flexibility that, when wrapped snugly around the wearer's torso in the thoracic region, becomes a semi-rigid object that cooperates with the wearer's torso both while standing still and during vigorous physical activity.

The fact that the girding is torso-based keeps all objects maintained in the girding's pockets high and away from the wearer's stomach and hips and does not shift due to twisting, running, and bending movements. This device is desirably made with flexible materials to encourage the full range of motion associated with the wearer's rib cage expansion and contraction during heavy breathing or exercise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a flexible item carrier.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the flexible item carrier of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a flexible item carrier device 10 is comprised of a girding 17, a front pocket 11, a zipper 13 that allows access to the inside of the front pocket, reflective means 14 located above the zipper, a top portion of an attachment means 12, elastic binding 15, stretchable material 16, and a pinhole 18. The girding is made of a flexible material (i.e., material that bends but does not break). In a first embodiment, the reflective means is reflective tape. However, the reflective means 14 may be constructed of any known material that reflects light. As this device may be used during physical activity (e.g., jogging), the reflective mean makes the wearer more easily visible to motorists or other pedestrians. The stretching means 16 stretches and allows for the flexible item carrier to be worn by people of different shapes and sizes. The girding 17 is equipped with elastic binding 15 at all three openings of the girding. The elastic binding 15 of the girding 17 allows a wearer to place the flexible item carrier 10 over his or her shoulders and torso, as well as above the wearer's waist. The elastic binding 15 provides a snug fit between the flexible item carrier 10 and the wearer's body. In a first embodiment, the attachment means is constructed of hooks-and-loops. However, the attachment means may be constructed of any known materials that can be used to close or seal a device. Such examples would be buttons and clips. In a first embodiment, the pinhole 18 allows the wearer to place a music-playing device in the front pocket 11 so that headphone wires can connect to the music-player with headphones. However, the pinhole accommodates any device that needs to be stored in the front pocket 11 and has wires that must protrude from the front pocket 11.

Referring to FIG. 2, the flexible item carrier 10 has a rear pocket 21 which spans the entire wearer's back. The rear pocket has a zipper 22 and reflective means 23. The specifications of the reflective means on the rear pocket are the same as previously described for the front pocket 11. The flexible item carrier is equipped with a bottom portion 24 of the attachment means. The flexible item carrier is equipped with a first stretching mean material 25 and a second stretching means 26. The first stretching means 25 and the second stretching means 26 are located at the bottom of the device and are bordered by the elastic binding 15.

All pockets of the flexible item carrier 10 are equipped with water-resistant lining. Also, the girding 17 is constructed of material that is sufficiently light-weight so as to not be cumbersome and/or otherwise interfere with the wearer's physical activity.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, various alternative embodiments of the invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the flexible item carrier device may be constructed of any light-weight material. Also, although the preferred embodiment discloses reflective tape, the reflective means may be constructed of, for example, fluorescent cloth. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A flexible item carrier device comprising: a girding; at least one pocket located on the front device; a zipper located on the at least one pocket; reflective means located on the at least one pocket; attachment means located at the bottom of the device and oriented in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the wearer; elastic binding; wherein the elastic binding is located at the openings of the device, thereby providing a snug fit between the device and the wearer's shoulders and torso.
 2. The flexible item carrier device of claim 1, further comprising a pinhole.
 3. The flexible item carrier device of claim 1, wherein the attachment means comprises hooks-and-loops.
 4. The flexible item carrier device of claim 2, further comprising at least one pocket located on the back of the device.
 5. The flexible item carrier device of claim 4, wherein the at least one pocket located on the back of the device spans the distance between the wearer's shoulder blades.
 6. The flexible item carrier device of claim 5, wherein the at least one pocket located on the back of the device is equipped with a zipper.
 7. The flexible item carrier device of claim 6, further comprising reflective means located above the zipper of the at least one pocket located on the back of the device.
 8. The flexible item carrier device of claim 7, wherein the reflective means is reflective tape.
 9. The flexible item carrier device of claim 8, wherein all pockets on the device have a water-resistant lining.
 10. The flexible item carrier of claim 9, further comprising stretching means.
 11. The flexible item carrier device of claim 10, wherein the stretching means are located at the rear of the device and at the bottom of the device, just above the elastic binding.
 12. The flexible item carrier device of claim 11, wherein the video camera has a lens located on the front of the housing.
 13. The flexible item carrier device of claim 12, wherein the girding is constructed of flexible material that can bend but will not break.
 14. A flexible item carrier device comprising: a girding constructed of flexible material that can bend but will not break; at least one pocket located on the front device; a zipper located on the at least one pocket; reflective means located on the at least one pocket; attachment means located at the bottom of the device and oriented in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the wearer; a pinhole located at the top of the at least one pocket on the front of the device; at least one pocket located on the back of the device that spans the distance between the wearer's shoulder blades; reflective means; elastic binding; wherein the elastic binding is located at the openings of the device, thereby providing a snug fit between the device and the wearer's shoulders and torso.
 14. The flexible item carrier device of claim 13, further comprising stretching means.
 15. The flexible item carrier device of claim 14, wherein the stretching means, are located at the rear, bottom of the device, just above the elastic binding.
 16. The flexible item carrier device of claim 15, wherein all pockets are equipped with water-resistant lining. 